Pretty Hurts
by thelastgleekbender
Summary: This is part 1 of the Puckcedes:BEYONCÉ series. It's actually not a fan of this one compared to the rest but oh well. Plot: Mercedes struggles with the pressures of the spotlight and her self image * trigger warning warning for eating disorder content*


**Pretty Hurts**

Puck and Santana were both sitting on the couch watching TV. Well it was really just Puck flicking channels while Santana took selfies on her phone. Suddenly the front door swung open and Mercedes walked in dropping her keys in the jar on the small table.

"Sup Mercedes, how was your da-"Puck was stopped as he took in his friends appearance, specifically her face. "Babe what's wrong?" he asked as he flicked off the TV.

"I'm fine…" she said shortly as she hung up her coat and looked in the side mirror on the wall.

"Well you don't sound fine" Santana added

"I'm fine…I'm just tired. Long day at the photo shoot.

"Yeah but-"

"I said I'm fine! Damn Puck leave it alone!" she snapped before walking out the room. Puck and Santana exchanged looks of confusion. Puck moved to follow her, but his arm was grabbed.

"Um where are you going?"

"To see what's wrong with her" Puck answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Um let me give a little advice about women. If one snaps at you and leaves the room, you under no circumstances follow them. That's how you end up cut." Puck concedes to her advice since she both was a girl and dated them so she must know what she's talking about.

The three sat at the dinner table in silence. They had tried to create conversation but the tension in the room made each topic fizzle out quickly.

"'Cedes you've barely touched your food" puck mentioned cautiously.

"Uh yeah…I'm not that hungry tonight" she said pushing around the macaroni and cheese. "You know what, I'ma head to bed" getting up and putting her plate on the counter and all but rushing towards the back of the apartment. Puck looked at Santana with desperation clearly begging her to do something.

"I'll go check on her" she sighed as she got up and headed towards the back. She walked down to Mercedes' room and noticed that she wasn't there." Mercedes?" She called out as she walked down the hall. She stopped as she passed the bathroom as she heard the distinct sound of gagging. "Um Mercedes…are you ok?" she asked with concern on her voice. Just then Puck came around the corner carrying some pamphlets.

"San I accidentally knocked over her bag and these fell out" he held up four pamphlets discussing various types of plastic surgery as well as a doctor's appointment card. She looked at the stuff in his hand and everything clicked. The way Mercedes has been acting over the last few weeks, the not eating and now the soun…

"Mercedes Jones get out here right now! I know what you're doing!"Santana yelled at the door. They heard the sound of the toilet flush and after about a minute, the door unlocked and Mercedes pushed her way passed them as if they weren't even there. "Um…excuse me, I was talking to you" Santana said as she followed Mercedes down the hall.

"I said I'm going to bed, now leave it" Mercedes responded without turning around.

"Look I know what you were doing in there and Puck found these pamphlets in your purse an-"

"You went through my purse?! " Mercedes whipped around glaring at Puck

"What? No, they feel out and-"

"So much for trust!" She snatched the items away

"'Cedes you know you can trust me" puck said a little hurt by her words.

"Mercedes I know you're deflecting. You're acting just like you did back in high school when you were trying to be a cheer-"

"You don't know anything!"  
"Yes I do! I know you! Puck knows you!"

"Is this about the photo shoot today?" Puck asked

"Stop it…"

"Did they say something?"

"Stop it…"

"Do I need to go and tell someone off because you know I will-"

"I SAID STOP IT!" she snapped before running to her room. Puck and Santana followed cautiously behind. "Do you see this?" she pointed to so tabloid magazine. "Mercedes Jones: Songstress stumbles on to the charts, one pound at a time'. Or this. Or this. Or this!" She continued to flip through various magazines each containing some cruel insults to her appearance; before throwing them off her desk completely. "And don't get me started on what people are saying about me online" she gestured to her laptop.

"Those are just stupid magazines 'Cedes, you can't listen to them" Santana said as she picked one of the magazines up.

"But they're right! I'm fat, I'm too black, and ugly to them and no matter what I do I'll never look like someone like…you!" gesturing toward Santana. She moved to start ripping all the cutout magazine pictures of herself off the wall. "I try" rip "and I try" rip " and I try and nothing fucking changes!" Puck and Santana were frozen as she continued on her tirade. She turned around and it was then they noticed that she was crying. "And you know what my manager just told me today?' that we should just put a design and my name on the cover of my album because someone like me may not sell. Do you know how tired I am of hearing that? I diet, wear the makeup, change my hair and it never changes" she began to walk towards them but began to hold her forehead and wobble before she faltered and began to pass out. Puck ran over and caught her before she hit the floor. And when she was fully in his grasp she began to sob in his chest.

"Mercedes you are one of the most gorgeous people n this planet. You have a voice sent from God himself and you are perfect just the way you are. And I don't mean that in a condescending "just to make you feel better" kind of way. I really mean it. The only thing about you that's too big is your heart. And normally that is one of the things that I love, that we love most about you, it's to a fault when it comes to what these people say about you." Santana knelt beside them.

"So fuck the tabloids, fuck what other people say. And fuck what your manager said. I want you to go down there and tell him how you want your pictures to be. You are the artist and sign his checks and if you need it I will go down there and check him." By now Mercedes' crying had died down to simple sniffles. "Of course we want you to be the super star you've always dreamed of, but is making all these changes to your body worth it? Will you be able to look in the mirror and say you're happy with yourself?"

"We care about you so much and we don't want to see you lose yourself just to please people who don't even matter. I…I can't imagine something happening to you…" He pulled her tighter and kissed her forehead. Santana looked on her two friends with a knowing smirk, before leaning in to hug her best friends

_**Perfection is a disease of a nation.**_

_**It's the soul that needs a surgery **_


End file.
